Racing in Boracay alive and well - report

by Sail-World Asia on 2 Sep 2009 We don’t get much sailing news out of the Philippines – it’s like a black hole down there, a sort of ‘maritime event horizon’. People and boats go, and come back with stories, but the Manila Yacht Club never sends out any press releases or photos from their two flagship events, the President’s Cup and the Manila-Boracay Race. If nobody sees the tree fall in the forest, did it really fall?

So, after a great deal of research, we are delighted to bring you a sailors’ ‘What’s On in the Philippines 2010’. Read on…

There has been a change of guard at the Manila Yacht Club – some members were ‘required to leave’, and the remainder don’t seem to be interested in yacht racing. All the racing boats have moved themselves off to Subic Bay, where the weekend races now regularly see as many as 15 boats on the start line.
One of the ‘gone to Subic’ members was formerly Chairman of the Race Committee, but that post is now filled by the Manager of the Philippine Sailing Team – a closed-shop ‘three juniors and two dinghies’ sort of an outfit – which is another contributory factor to the extermination of big boat racing at MYC.

The future of the President’s Cup is probably best described as 'uncertain' – which means that at the moment nobody is actually organising a 2010 regatta at all.

But those who like sailing in Boracay will be delighted to hear that there is a full programme coming up there in 2010:

24-30 January. The 21st Boracay Funboard Cup. An event for kiteboards and windsurfers – the Sailing-Standing-Up people.

Followed by three days of Paraw racing – the impossibly quick and colourful local craft. (Rumour has it the winner of this year’s Paraw Regatta will go straight to Ras al Khaimah to show Alinghi just what you can really do with three sheets of plywood, 10m of pvc pipe and a couple of rice sacks. In more than three knots of breeze.)

19-21 February. West Pacific Hobie 16 Championships. Lots of overseas competitors have been sailing at the principal Philippines’ Hobie events over the last few years, and there is plenty of enthusiasm for something ‘big’ – the WestPac regatta is intended to showcase Boracay before the Philippine Hobie Foundation makes a bid for the 2011 Hobie 16 Worlds.

19–22 February - A race from Subic Bay (the end location of the China Sea Race) to Boracay, and then…

22-27 February. The Boracay Cup – for Keelboats and Ocean Multihulls – 'because you wanted it'. Dig out the beachwear, grab a coldie and head back to the white sands and big breezes at Boracay. Cans racing with a couple of days of ‘long’ races thrown in for good measure.

And at the same time (22-27 February) the 11th Philippine Hobie Challenge. Instead of being the usual ‘raid’ format (point-to-point-to-point…), the PHC 2010 will be a ‘starfish’ regatta – all starts and finishes at Boracay, but going somewhere different each day on long Challenge courses.

That’s all, folks!